home making.

I am not a Bree Van-de-Kamp, the Desperate Housewife with the perfect home, but there are times when I realise that I need to do something about the layers of dust and the kitchen floor appears to be changing colour!

Housework is something that I seem to avoid – yet oddly enough when I spend time cleaning I actually find I enjoy it. (yes you did read that correctly, the word enjoy and housework in the same sentence!)

I have fallen in love with sparkly, and it is very easy to achieve, takes no elbow grease and is not hazardous to health. It is a simple mix of vinegar and bicarbonate of soda.

This is not my kitchen but one that is set up in the grounds of the Weald and Down Museum in nearby West Dean, I thought it illustrates to me just how much simpler and easier housework has become. Hot water at the turn of a tap – washing machines and electric kettles, it has never been an easier time to be a housewife. I believe that simple household products that have seen years of use. This little kitchen set up goes back to early in the 1900s.

Looking at the simple ingredients that were at the disposal of the housewife in her struggle to keep the house free from infection – it made me ponder just how far we have come to rely on the ‘selling power of science’ We trust the cleaning products that abound on the supermarket shelf are safe and effective to use.These companies are in business to make money, they use enough science to convince us that their product will be the best, and easiest to use.

There are no restrictions on cleaning products for the home it may surprise you they are able to sell these above what would be considered a health risk if it were sold commercially. There have been links with air fresheners and cancer risks, and I believe that if our bodies cough to expel something that has been sprayed into an aerosol into our smallest room then it is pretty likely the substance we are ingesting might not be in good health.

Its easy to get everything sparkly, just spray with vinegar and sprinkle over bicarbonate! You can scrub a little, then wash down with water. Buff and sit back and admire a lovely shine! It lasts for a few days too. No coughing, no nasty chemicals, gentle on the purse too!

I had never visited the Cotswolds before and was charmed by the beauty of the golden stone cottages framed by green hills and peaceful valleys. Broadway is a lovely village, the upper end is quieter than the lower road which is where our little cottage is situated. It is very strange to wake up in the morning and see tourists outside with their cameras, but it is so beautiful you can understand why, I feel very lucky to be here, all be it for weekends.

The dog enjoyed the garden after months of being cooped up in the flat, and I have plans to make the most of it next year, with a few herbs and scented flowers. For the time being the house needs decorating, and that is one thing I enjoy the most, home making. I shall be blogging about my adventures here.

This area is well known for the arts and crafts movement, the pre-raphelites stayed in the nearby Broadway Tower which is now a museum. It has a wonderful view across the valley and would have been a place of inspiration.

I love the arched windows and Juliet balconies, who would not feel inspired to paint or write poetry in such a place, however they must have been fit going up and down the staircases!

Well worth a visit if you are in the area – the tea shop serves fabulous cream teas.